MHE Resources and Referrals

Useful MHE Contacts - Useful MHE Contacts with Telephone Numbers (mainly for the Puget Sound area). Essentially a condensed list of many of the resources listed below. (PDF)

Top Tips for Improving Air Quality - Easy to follow tips to improve your air quality

A Healthy Home - Simple steps to make your home a safer and healthier place
  
Air Cleaners and Purifiers

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Indoor Air Facts #7 Residential Air Cleaners
• Residential Air Cleaners Fact Sheet - American Lung Association® in Washington(PDF)
• Hazardous Ozone-Generating Air Purifiers
• The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers searchable directory of certified room air cleaners

Asthma and Allergy Information

• Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics
• American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
• Asthma and Allergy Prevention (National Institute of Environmental Health)
• EPA Asthma Resources
• Asthma information site (National Jewish Medical and Research Center) 

Books of Interest

• A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals by Steven G. Gilbert
• Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir by Susanne Antonetta A harrowing story of an immigrant family in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey--a hauntingly beautiful, hauntingly compromised landscape. With incalculable sadness, Susanne Antonetta presents families in the midst of the wreckage of the American dream.
• Listening to the Land by Derrick Jensen A collection of interviews with environmentalists, feminists, theologians, philosophers, and Indians centering around the question: If the destruction of the natural world isn't making us happy, why are we doing it?"
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction."--Rachel Carson 1954

Chemical Database

• Household Chemical Database (National Library of Medicine)The most comprehensive database with information on chemical ingredients, composition and safety of more than 4,000 consumer household products.
• Envirofacts Chemical Reference (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Scorecard(Environmental Defense Fund)
• Chemical Health & Safety Data by National Toxicology Program (National Institute of Health)
• Databases on toxicology and hazardous chemicals (National Library of Medicine)

Chemical Pollutants

• Ten Tips to Protect Your Children from Pesticides and Lead by EPA.  Offers a simple list of things you should do to protect your children from hazardous chemicals around the home.
• Tox Town - An interactive guide to environmental health concerns and toxic chemicals where you live, work and play from the National Library of Medicine.
• ASBESTOS - Puget Sound Clean Air Agency - Excellent information on asbestos as well as information on contractors who can remove it.
• LEAD - Environmental Protection Agency
• CLEARCorps - Volunteer organization working to protect children from lead poisoning.
• FORMALDEHYDE/PRESSED WOOD PRODUCTS - Washington State Department of Health
• Hobby and art supplies:  The Toxics in the Home program by Washington Toxics Coalition.  One of the few websites with information on hobby and art supplies.
• Collaborative on Health and the Environment: CHE Toxicants and Disease Database, is a scientifically based, web-interactive database summarizing the evidence of exposure to chemical contaminants and over 180 associated human diseases or conditions. 

Dry Cleaning

• EnviroStars - Helps Washington counties businesses prevent hazardous waste. Provides lists of environmentally sound businesses in Washington State.   
• EPA fact sheet on silicone-based dry cleaning
• Wet cleaning review by Union of Concerned Scientists

Environmental Health Publications or Database

• Environmental Health and Safety (Washington State Department of Health)
• Childrens Environmental HealthWashington Toxics Coalition
• Washington State Building codes
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Asthma and Allergy Prevention (National Institute of Environmental Health)
• Union of Concerned Scientists - Advocacy and educational group of scientists promoting a healthier and safer world.   

General Medical Information

• Medlineplus (National Library of Medicine/National Institute of Health) Provides a wealth of medical information
• National Library of Medicine Literature Search Engine

General Tips on House Cleaning and Maintenance

• Green Cleaning Recipes by American Lung Association® in Washington (PDF)
• How to Reduce Asthma Triggers by American Lung Association® in Washington (PDF)
• Health Effects of Deep Dust in Carpeting and How to Get It Out (PDF)
• Safer Cleaning Products by Philip Dickey from the Washington Toxics Coalition website

Government Resources

• The US Government's Official Web Portal
  http://firstgov.gov
  Provides a coordinated view of US government information and services
• Access Washington: World Wide Web portal to Washington State
  http://access.wa.gov/
  Provides a coordinated view of Washington State government information and services
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
  http://www.lni.wa.gov/
  Look up a contractor, electrician, or plumber and check to see if the business is properly registered with the state.
• Office of the Attorney General of Washington State
  http://www.atg.wa.gov/
• Washington State Division of Environmental Health
  http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/
  Information on indoor air quality and environmental and health safety.
• EPA Region 10, covering the Pacific Northwest
  http://www.epa.gov/region10/
• King County Hazardous Waste site
  http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/about/
• King County Health Department
  http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health.aspx  

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

• This is a great interactive tool for general air quality conserns around the home.  Developed by the Lung Association of Canada Highly Recommended! www.yourhealthyhome.ca
• The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/#insidestory  Popular and comprehensive, published in 1995 by EPA. 32 pages. Clearly written for the general public.
• Introduction to air quality by EPA http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html Offers comprehensive and timely information on topics including biological pollutants, household chemicals and radon.
• Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures  http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9610.html  Comprehensive review published in 2000 by Institute of Medicine. If you are interested in the current state of knowledge on indoor air quality, this site will give you unbiased scientific treatment of the subject.
• Washington State Indoor Air Quality http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/iaq/default.HTM
• EPA publications on indoor air quality http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/index.html
• California Air Resources Board http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/indoor.htm
• California Indoor Air Quality Program http://www.cal-iaq.org/

Indoor Pests and Biological Pollutants

• Dust Mites - Asthma Triggers by EPA
• Dust Mites - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & ImmunologyA comprehensive FAQ about dust mites. May be more appropriate for health professionals.
• Others - The Toxics in the Home Program by Washington Toxics Coalition offers excellent information on indoor pest control including lice, fleas, clothing moths, carpenter ants, spiders, ants, flies and cockroaches. Many are downloadable in PDF. 

Information on Healthy and Safe Buildings

• Health House (American Lung Association®)
  http://www.healthhouse.org/
• Master Builders Association of the King and Snohomish Counties
  http://www.builtgreen.net/
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pub_idx.html
• Washington State Building codes
  https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/sbcc/default.aspx
• Building Science Corporation: excellent information on technical aspect of building houses
  http://www.buildingscience.com/
• Canadian Housing Information Center Technical Bulletin
  http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/publications/en/rh-pr/tech/
• Healthy Building Network
  http://www.healthybuilding.net/
  National network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists
• HealtheHouse by Children's Health Environment Coalition
  http://healthychild.org/live-healthy/health_ehome/home/index.asp

Local Organizations

• American Lung Association® in Washington
  www.alaw.org
• Washington Toxics Coalition
  www.watoxics.org.
  Aims to protect public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution. Helpful information on reducing toxic materials at home and in the environment.
• A Small Dose of Toxicology (Dr. Steven Gilbert)
  www.asmalldoseof.org
  Website created by Dr. Steven Gilbert, a Master Home Environmentalist instructor.
• Pollution in People: A Study of Toxic Chemicals in Washingtonian
  http://www.pollutioninpeople.org
  Toxic Chemicals are all around us - in our air, water, food, the products we use. They're in our bodies too.
• Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation
  http://www.sblfoundation.org/
  Sponsors seminars on the health and environment as well as fund projects.
• Tenants Union
  http://www.tenantsunion.org/
• The Better Business Bureau (serving Oregon and Western Washington).
  http://www.thebbb.org
  Provides reports on charitable organizations and companies.
• EnvironStars
  www.envirostars.org
  List of environmentally sound businesses in the Puget Sound area
• Northwest EcoBuilding Guild
  http://www.ecobuilding.org/
  An association of people in various trades who are interested in ecologically sustainable building.
• Take It Back Network
  http://takeitbacknetwork.org/
  Information on where and how to recycle household items in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Yakima, and Tacoma counties
• Cool Mom
  http://www.coolmom.org/
  Hot planet seeks CoolMoms: Concerned mothers raising awareness about climate change and taking action for a healthier earth for their children.

Low Income Resources

      Law Help

• Helping Low-Income People Find Solutions to Civil Legal Problems (also en Espanol)
  http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org
• International District Legal Clinic
  Interpreters provided
  206-695-7639
• Northwest Justice Project
  Civil (non-criminal) legal services to people living in King County who cannot afford a lawyer. Limited English speakers, general family law, domestic violence, education law, housing law, Native American issues, welfare law, refugee and immigrant advocacy, community legal education and training, advice and referral.
  401 2nd Ave. S, Suite 407
  Seattle, WA 98104
  206-464-1519
  1-888-201-9737 (TTY)
  www.nwjustice.org
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
  Legal services for low-income refugees and immigrants in Washington State.
  Western Washington
  Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 noon
  206-587-4009 or 1-800-445-5771
  Eastern Washington
  M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm
  509-854-2100 or 1-888-756-3641
  http://www.nwirp.org

      Utility assistance

• Seattle City Light
  Offers a free Home Resource Profile that provides customized recommendations for reducing utility bills.
  www.seattle.gov/conserve/homeprofile
• City of Seattle Utility Assistance
  206-684-0355
• Federal Way Office of the Multi-Service Center
  253-874-4328 or 1-800-422-1384
• Kent Office of the Multi-Service Center
  253-850-1338
• CAMP Energy Assistance Program
  206-328-2356
• Snohomish County Energy Assistance Program
  425-388-7261
• Hopelink Energy Assistance Program
  425-869-6027 or 1-800-348-7144

      Health Care Assistance

• King County Public Health
  Access and Outreach
  206-296-4841
  Medicaid, community clinics, ex cetera. Will work with individuals to assess need and resources.

      Child Care

• City of Seattle
  206-386-1050
• DSHS Working Connections Child Care Program
  206-341-7433

      Food Assistance

• City of Seattle
  1-877-644-3663

Mold

• Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors
  http://oehc.uchc.edu/clinser/MOLD%20GUIDE.pdf
• Mold Resources available from the EPA http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldresources.html
• Is Indoor Mold Contamination a Threat to Health by Dr. H. Ammann, a senior toxicologist for Washington State Dept. of Ecology (PDF)
• Got Mold by Washington State Department of Health
  http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/IAQ/Got_Mold.html
• Mold in Your Home DVD (12 Minutes) now available on NWCAA website for viewing and download
  http://www.nwcleanair.org/aqPrograms/indoorAir.htm
• LANDLORD-TENANT ACT--MOLD INFORMATION "Information must be provided by the landlord to new tenants at the time the lease or rental agreement is signed, and must be provided to current tenants no later than January 1, 2006, or must be posted in a visible, public location at the dwelling unit property beginning the effective date of this act..."

NW Clean Air

• Two informational titles; “Attack Asthma at Home: A Practical Approach to Asthma ‘Trigger” Source Control and Prevention” & "Mold in Your Home.” DVDs available in English and Spanish.

Outdoor Air Quality Monitoring: Pollution and Pollen

• Breathe Easy Network offered by American Lung Association in Washington
  Sign up for e-mail notification service of current air quality.
• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
  http://www.pscleanair.org/airq/aqi.aspx
  Current local air quality.
• AIRNow
  http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqimaps.html
  Web-based database managed by Environmental Protection Agency. Historical and current data on air for the entire nation.
• Pollen.com
  http://www.pollen.com
  Offers nationwide pollen data on a daily basis. You can get pollen count for a specific area of the country by entering the ZIP code.
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
  http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?p=pollen
  The pollen count is available for the Seattle area on a daily basis through several services, but the mold count is only for Vancouver in Washington.

Radon Test Kit

Schools

• Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools by EPA
  http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html
• Healthy School Environments by EPA
  http://cfpub.epa.gov/schools/index.cfm
• School Environmental Health and Safety Program by Washington State Department of Health
  http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Schools/EnvironmentalHealth.aspx
• Center for Ecogenetics and Enviromental Health
  http://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/community/community-resources.html

Smoking

• American Lung Association of Washington Tobacco Control Page
  A great resource. Lots and lots of information and links concerning the negative health affects of smoking and how to quit.
• Quitline by Washington State Department of Health Consumer Products Safety Commission
  Great resource for people who want to quit smoking
• Smoke Free Washington http://www.smokefreewashington.com/

Smoke Free Housing

• Smoke-Free Housing Rights
  www.tenantrights.net/text/pg-nonsmoker.html
• Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke-Free Housing Registry
  www.tcsg.org/sfelp/apartment.htm
• Smokefree housing opportunities. A web site run by Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, with some information on ordinances.
  www.smokefreeworld.com/housing.shtml
• Various discussions about smoke free housing.
  http://www.s-fhc.com/  

Shopping Guide to Environment - Or Allergy-Friendly Products

• Consumer Products Safety Commission
• Consumer Reports
• Enviro Stars
  Provides lists of environmentally sound businesses in Washington State.
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing by the EPA
• Green Seal
• Guide to less toxic products

Tenant Law

• Seattle Landlord Tenant Laws
• Translated Seattle Landlord Tenant Laws (available in Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese)
• Seattle Laws Regarding Building Maintenance and Repair
• Checklist to Report Needed Repairs
• The Tenants Union http://tenantsunion.org Seattle-based non-profit organization that advocate stronger tenants' rights for Washington State tenants. Its online brochures on various issues are very easy to understand.
• Solid-Ground helps community members overcome economic crises and develop the skills and resources they need to thrive. Offers housing programs and tenant counseling.
• Washington State Office of the Attorney General http://www.atg.wa.gov/LandlordTenant/default.aspx This website explains various legal issues involving landlords and tenants and gives phone numbers of agencies to contact in different counties if you have any problem.
• LANDLORD-TENANT ACT--MOLD INFORMATION
  "Information must be provided by the landlord to new tenants at the time the lease or rental agreement is signed, and must be provided to current tenants no later than January 1, 2006, or must be posted in a visible, public location at the dwelling unit property beginning the effective date of this act..."  

Yard and Gardening

• Natural Yard Care by King County Solid Waste Division, City of Seattle and Saving Water Partnership
  http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/naturalyardcare/index.asp
• Solid Waste Division of King County
  http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/index.asp  
  Information on natural lawn and yard care as well as recycling. It is a good place to find information on how to get discounts on compost bins lawn mowers, etc. Check the Event section.Natural yard and lawn care by King County Hazardous waste Management Program
  http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/yard/
• Infromation about pestisides and alternatives to pestisides. Many useful fact sheets in PDF form.
  http://www.pestiside.org/
• Saving Water Partnership
  www.savingwater.org
• Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden Trust
  www.GreatPlantPicks.org
  Information on plants suitable for the Pacific Northwest.
• Washington Native Plant Society
  http://www.wnps.org/
• Washington State University Extension Service
  gardening.wsu.edu
• Detailed month to month calendar of lawn and garden information by WSU
  http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/calen.htm
• City of Seattle Conservation and Environment
  http://www.seattle.gov/util/Directory/Conservation_Index/index.asp
  Scroll down to, "Landscape Naturally"
• King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks
  http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/dnrp.aspx 
  One stop information site for yard and garden care.
• Center for Urban Horticulture
  http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/
• Seattle Tilth
  www.seattletilth.org
• Integrated Pest Management information by Washington State University Cooperative Extension
  http://ipm.wsu.edu/
• Healthy Homes and Gardens by Washington Toxics Coalition
  Offers information on maintaining yard and lawn without using synthetic chemicals, including information on appropriate plant selection in the Pacific Northwest.
• Allergy-Free Gardening
  http://www.allergyfree-gardening.com/index.php
  Ideas about how to choose plants that are less likely to cause pollen problems.